Support Knowledge Base

VIP 3.0 - How to use Key Control

Key Control allows you to play select Scales, Harmonies, or Chord Progressions up and down your keyboard without worrying about playing a note outside of the selected key or scale. This article will walk you through how to use the Key Control feature within the VIP 3.0 software.

Contents

Turning on Key Control

Key Control is a new feature that has been added to the new VIP 3.0 software. This will allow you to select Scales, Harmonies, or Chord Progressions to be played up and down your keyboard without worrying about playing a bad note.

After launching the VIP software and selecting a plug-in/patch, select the Key Control tab to activate this new feature.

With this tab selected, click the button next to Key Control to toggle the Key Control On or Off.

Selecting a Mode

With the Key Control on, you now have the option to select 1 of 3 modes, Scales, Harmonize, and Progression mode.

Scales Mode

By activating Scales mode, your keyboard will be transformed into a perfect scale. You will be unable to trigger any keys that do not exist on the scale that you have chosen. This is a great tool to create melodies.

Select the drop-down box next to mode and select Scales.

Choose the key and scale that you'd like to use. Please note that by default, the key will be C and the scale will be Major.

Harmonize Mode

By activating Harmonize Mode, you will be able to trigger entire chords by pressing one key. Much like the Scales option, only chords within the selected scale and key will be triggered.

Select the drop-down box next to mode and select Harmonize

Choose a key and scale for your harmony.

Use the Notes sections to choose which notes in the scale you want for your harmony, or use the drop down to select a popular harmony. You can create 2, 3, or 4 part harmonies.

Progression Mode

By activating Progression mode, your keys will trigger progressions of chords as you play different keys up and down your keyboard. Like the Harmonize mode, one key will be one chord. Only one key needs to be played at a time.

Select the drop-down box next to mode and select Progression.

Use the next drop-down to select what type of Progressions you would like to view (Ballad, Dance, Gospel, Jazz, or Pop), and select which progression variation.

Select which key you want the progression to play in using the New Key drop-down box.

Select a start note for the progression to start on. The progressions will only play within a specific range on your keyboard from the selected start note. By clicking and holding over the start note box, you can hit a key on your keyboard to automatically set the start note to the key you're pressing.

The Progression mode is the only mode that allows you to set articulation to the specific chords that exist in the progression. This is not a necessary setting to adjust but may be useful if you want specific dynamics in your progressions.

Turning on Pad Mode

Pad Mode can be activated on the Scale and harmonize screen but is usable in every mode within Key Control. You can set specific chords or notes to the pads on your Advance to be triggered by the pads.

In Scale Mode, click the button next to Pad Mode to activate this feature.

Note: Do not attempt this process in harmonize mode. When done in scale mode, the root note is selected and will react when changing to Harmonize or Progression. If you create it in harmonize mode, the pads will always include the notes used in that harmony. This may give undesirable results.

With the Keyboard Panel open, select Plug-In and learn to put the pads into Learn mode

Select the pad you want to assign, and press the corresponding key on the keyboard you wish to assign. Repeat this process for every pad on the notes you want.

Turn Learn off when you are finished making your changes.

You can now trigger scales, harmonies, and progressions from your pads!

Further Technical Support

Whether you are a customer or dealer, if you already own an M-Audio product, or if you just have pre-sales questions, the M-Audio technical support team is available to help!

Visit the link below to connect with any of the following support options: online community support, phone support, email support: